WWE NXT Results – January 17th, 2018

  We’re just a few days away from NXT Takeover: Philadelphia, and this show did a good job establishing the rest of the card for the event. We’ve known for a while now that the show will be headlined by Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Championship, but a few twists and turns are being thrown in on the way to the match. Also, it looks like an NXT tag team that we have not seen in a while is on their way back soon. Before we address those topics, the show began with Heavy Machinery coming down for a match.
Heavy Machinery vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss –
  It feels like we get this match very often, but the outcome usually sees Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight squash their competition. This match proved to be a bit different.

  The bout starts off with Tino and Otis trading a few moves back and fourth as they each try to get the early advantage over the other team. Otis ended up winning the scuffle when he managed to get the taller Tino with a body slam.
  In comes Tucker Knight, who rolls onto Tino before swinging him around in a circle. This was just like what Cesaro does, but Tucker held his opponent by the head, not the legs. The dismount caused Tino to land directly in Riddick Moss’ path, thus providing him the chance to tag himself in. What was Tucker to do now? Well, he simply picked up Moss and swung him around as well.
  Both members of Heavy Machinery marched around the ring and charged into Moss together. Dozovic busted out the Worm, which lead to an elbow drop for a near fall.
  The match began to turn in their opponent’s favor once Moss was able to take out the knee of Dozovic. Sabbatelli tagged in and began to punched Otis in the corner for a while.

  It all seemed like the two big boys had the victory in hand as Tucker tagged back in and laid waste to Tino and Riddick. Suddenly, Moss managed to take advantage by pinning Knight with his feet on the ropes.
Winners: Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
  The Undisputed Era cut another “nWo”-esque promo backstage. Cole promises that each member of his group will win their respective matches at Takeover. He vows to embarrass Aleister Black in his Extreme Rules match, then Kyle O’Reilly says that he and Bobby Fish will retain their tag team titles regardless of whoever they’re facing. Fish then says that the teams in NXT are currently competing to get dropped by himself and O’Reilly.

Fabian Aichner vs. Roderick Strong –
  Aichner and Strong started off this match by trading a few moves back and fourth for a while. Aichner is a very impressive athlete for a man of his size, so he was given plenty of opportunities to shine throughout this match.
  Strong hit a backbreaker on Fabian early on for a two count. Later on, Aichner went for a springboard, but he got caught with another backbreaker from Roddy. Fabian went to the top of one of the ring posts for a clothesline, but Strong countered and locked him in the Strong Hold to get the submission victory.
  Roddy then took a mic and called out Lars Sullivan before walking to the back.
Winner: Roderick Stong
  A video package aired for the returning TM-61 tag team. Remember those guys? If not, the team consists of Australian wrestlers Shane Thorne and Nick Miller. They competed in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic before losing to the Authors of Pain back in 2016. They had been working in NXT for a while, but they have been off of TV for a while now due to a knee injury suffered by Thorne.
  This video package did a wonderful job of not only reminding fans who these two were, but also a bit of their backstory. This showed them meeting each other in Australia before fighting and teaming up together on the indies. They received training from WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race, who eventually got them their first WWE tryout. After receiving rejection at first, the two continued to team up together in Japan. It was here where these two really began to prove their doubters wrong as they saw great success together. A second part to this video will air on next week’s show.
Aliyah vs. Lacey Evans –
  The match started off with Evans taking down Aliyah with a kick. She reversed the momentum for a bit due to a rolling crucifix that got her a two count. Evans then stood on the ring apron as she proceeded to drag Aliyah’s face across the top rope. She then hit a slingshot elbow drop for a two count.
  After some strikes in the corner, Aliyah got the chance to hit a few moves of her own in this match, but Evans unexpectedly decked her with her right hand. That was all she needed to get the win. Even she looked surprised that her punch was apparently so powerful.
Winner: Lacey Evans
  After the match, Evans took a mic and insulted the crowd and the NXT women’s division. She stated that it was time for NXT to be dominated by a sophisticated woman such as herself. She berated all of the women that we usually see. All of a sudden, Shayna Baszler emerges, causing Evans to run for it. Baszler heads down to the ring and locks Aliyah in a rear naked choke.
  This all led to Ember Moon coming out and daring Shayna to attempt that same move on her. She dared her to come fight her, but Baszler stated that she did not have her gear ready at the time. Baszler promised to fight Ember at Takeover instead. The announcers made a big deal out of the fact that it was the champion who threw down the challenge to their opponent.
  William Regal appears backstage and officially announces that Baszler and Moon will compete for the NXT Women’s Championship at Takeover. Zelina Vega suddenly emerges and reminds Regal of what a loser Johnny Gargano is. She reminds everybody that Almas has already beaten Gargano twice. She then urges Regal to have Gargano put his title shot on the line in a match against The Velveteen Dream. Regal refuses to make the match, causing Zelina to pout and storm off.
  No Way Jose cut a brief promo backstage. He said that 2017 had been a year full of ups and downs, but he promised that 2018 will be his year. Jose returns to NXT next week.
  After watching Zelina Vega’s meeting with William Regal backstage, Johnny Gargano suddenly comes down to the ring and cuts a fiery promo about how he’s sick of being doubted by everybody. Gargano says that he finally knows who he is now. In fact, he is so confident in his abilities that he decides to put his title shot on the line against the Dream after all. The match happens next week.
The Street Profits vs. The Authors of Pain –
  There was a Tag Team Championship match on the line in this match. Both of these teams were desperate to get the shot. So, who prevailed?
  Akam and Rezar both started the match off by destroying Montez Ford. Throughout this match, the Authors mainly attempted to wear their opponents down through the usage of a variety of holds. Their fortunes did briefly turn around when Ford was able to tag Angelo Dawkins in. Dawkins hit the Stinger Splash in the corner, but that was not enough to get the monsters down.
  The two of them quickly regained their momentum and hit the Super Collider on the Profits. They followed that up with the Last Chapter to get the dominant win. Short, simple, and to the point.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
  It was confirmed immediately after the match concluded that Akam and Rezar will be getting a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships as they take on Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia.
  With five matches now being officially announced, that seems to likely spill out the official card for Takeover. However, we now know that Johnny Gargano may not be wrestling for the top title after all if hes loses to the Velveteen Dream next week. Next week’s show will also be the final stop before Takeover, so it is all or nothing in that match. Check back here again next week when the finishing touches are put on the buildup for what promises to be a fun show in Philadelphia on the 27th. I’ll see you NXT time!